Shortly before his sudden death in 1895 at the age of 45, the award-winning photographer Matthew Auty registered a number of views for copyright that he had taken around Tyneside.
Among them were well-known Newcastle locations including its Central Station, both High Level and Swing Bridges, Stephenson’s Monument and Jesmond Dene.
Many were popular sellers for the Auty Series imprint that continued to bear his name as the late-Victorian and Edwardian postcard boom took hold.
However, what caught my attention whilst visiting the National Archives where his copyright forms are stored were his less familiar views of locations across the River Tyne … in neighbouring Gateshead.
Today Saltwell Park is regarded as one of the best examples in Britain of a Victorian park and is popular with visitors of all ages.
At its heart sits the wonderful Saltwell Towers, an example of Gothic revival architecture, that was home to the distinguished stained glass manufacturer William Wailes (1808-1881).
No doubt aware of the connection, another of Auty’s Gateshead views features examples of Wailes’s stained glass,
Today St. Mary’s Church, a familiar sight to train travellers on the East Coast railway line as it crosses the River Tyne, is Grade 1 listed and houses a Heritage Centre.
The final Gateshead view captured by Auty is captioned ‘Boys High School, Gateshead’ and features a building that opened in 1883 as a private school.
Around the time this photograph was taken, it was purchased by Gateshead School Board, re-named Gateshead Secondary School and underwent various name changes before its demolition in 1960.
It is rather poignant that the copyrighting of these images in November 1894 came in the final months of Matthew Auty’s career as a professional photographer.
His importance as a photographer in the North East of England and further afield is reflected in the list of attendees at his burial in Newcastle’s Jesmond Old Cemetary.
These included a veritable Who’s Who of the region’s photographers led by J.P. Gibson, President of the Newcastle and Northern Counties Photographic Association.
Among those present were Linked Ring member Lyd Sawyer (1856-1927) and James Dickinson whose photography shop was a feature of Newcastle city centre well into the 20th century.
Pressphotoman 
Leave a comment